Virtual Student Center to Streamline Services

Students to Access Registration, Pay Bills Remotely

Students will be able to use their phones, iPads and other devices to access registration, billing and financial aid services through the Virtual Student Services Center, a web portal that is currently under development.

02/25/2013

By Jill Gambon

Students will be able to update their course registration, pay bills or check financial aid notifications with a few taps on their mobile phones through a new web portal that is currently under development. The Virtual Student Services Center will serve as a web-based hub for registration, billing and financial aid that can be accessed via computers, smart phones or other mobile devices.

The University received a $300,000 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation in December to develop the project. The plan is to streamline access to services that are now provided by separate departments on campus.

“The Virtual Student Services Center will improve student service and satisfaction and minimize the need to come to a physical location,” says Thomas Taylor, dean of enrollment and student success. “It will provide more convenient access and greatly simplify processes.”

Taylor is leading the development of the project along with Steven O’Riordan, associate vice chancellor of financial services, and Jeff Glatstein, director of information management services with University Information Technology Services in the UMass President’s Office. Once completed, the project can be shared with other UMass campuses, particularly Boston and Dartmouth, Taylor says.

The portal is scheduled to be up and running before the new student services and activity center that is now under development at University Crossing opens next year.

Based in Yarmouth, Maine, the Davis Educational Foundation supports undergraduate programs at colleges and universities throughout New England. It was established by Elisabeth K. and Stanton W. Davis, the former chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets.